A later line of questioning prompted Tortorella to say he thinks alternate captain Brad Richards will have his best game as well, although there was no couching when it came to the team’s resident Vezina and Hart Trophy finalist.

Coming off a pair of losses in which he gave up a combined seven goals, Lundqvist has a calm, confident air. He’s trying not to think too much about the pressure.

“Not more than any other game. Try not to at least,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously, when you go into a game like this you want to win so bad you might put too much pressure than you need. When you’re out there you try to just focus on the things you always focus on when you play that game. The challenge, every time you play an important game, is to find a good balance, mentally.”